[Mbodell]

Scoring: MP

East opens 1♣

---

How would you rate each of:

Pass, X, 1♦, 1♥, 1NT, or anything else?

If you've already visibly tanked does it effect your final choice?

[Echognome]

Personally I could live with Pass, 1♥ or 1NT. I used to always 1NT with these hands, but I've been learning the merits of passing and hoping to double my way back in over spades.

1♦ or Double do not cross my mind.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Pass, 1NT or 1H are ok.

I prefer 1NT slightly over Pass, and 1H
being a distant third.

If I have tanked, I bid 1NT, this will give
partner the least problems.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mike777]

Mbodell, on Dec 12 2007, 03:05 AM, said:

Scoring: MP

East opens 1♣

---

How would you rate each of:

Pass, X, 1♦, 1♥, 1NT, or anything else?

If you've already visibly tanked does it effect your final choice?

1H

pass is not for me.

[whereagles]

Mbodell, on Dec 12 2007, 08:05 AM, said:

Scoring: MP

East opens 1♣

---

How would you rate each of:

Pass, X, 1♦, 1♥, 1NT, or anything else?

If you've already visibly tanked does it effect your final choice?

Pass: a normal bid, preparing for a later take-out dbl of spades. Highly unlikely that 1♣ gets passed out, and even if it does, pard is probably broke.

Dbl: no good rebid if pard bids spades.. might work well, though. Especially if pd has hearts.

1♦: not my style, but I can live with it. It has the advantage you can dbl later for take-out if opps bid spades meanwhile (quite likely).

1♥: has all the problems of an unexpected 4-card overcall coupled to no real advantage over 1♦.

1NT: might work ok, but again.. not my style.

If I tanked meanwhile, I would bid 1♦. Otherwise I'd probably pass.

[vuroth]

fwiw, I pass. No problem, yet.

[P_Marlowe]

whereagles, on Dec 12 2007, 05:27 AM, said:

<snip>
1♥: has all the problems of an unexpected 4-card overcall coupled to no real advantage over 1♦.
<snip>

Except, that a 1D overcall lies also
about the suit quality?

And that your most likely game, if
you have game is either 3NT or 4H?

With kind regards
Marlowe

[FrancesHinden]

Pass looks obvious.
Second (distant) choice a warped 1NT.
No other choices.

[jdonn]

FrancesHinden, on Dec 12 2007, 09:29 AM, said:

Pass looks obvious.
Second (distant) choice a warped 1NT.
No other choices.

I second the voice of reason.

[pclayton]

Switch my hearts and clubs, and I'll fudge 1♥. Put the ♣K as the stiff ♠K and I'll overcall 1N.

For now I pass. I can make a juicy penalty double of 1N and I can make a TOx of 2♠. Maybe pard balances.

Barring these possibilities I'm happy defending.

[hrothgar]

Playing standard methods I like 1NT
I prefer to get the hand off my chest now and show values

I can life with pass or (with the right partners) 1♥

[whereagles]

P_Marlowe, on Dec 12 2007, 02:23 PM, said:

Except, that a 1D overcall lies also
about the suit quality?

Suit quality is the least of my worries here. I'm more concerned with my 2nd bid.

[pclayton]

whereagles, on Dec 12 2007, 09:56 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Dec 12 2007, 02:23 PM, said:

Except, that a 1D overcall lies also
about the suit quality?

Suit quality is the least of my worries here. I'm more concerned with my 2nd bid.

If you overcall 1♦ and double 2♠ when it comes back to you, I'd be very worried about suit quality as you might be playing a 4-2 ♦ fit across from pard's 5=3=2=3.

[whereagles]

huh? that shape looks like a pass, no?

not to mention I'd be as weary to play Kxxx vs Qx as I would be with KQxx vs xx

[pclayton]

whereagles, on Dec 12 2007, 10:02 AM, said:

huh? that shape looks like a pass, no?

not to mention I'd be as weary to play Kxxx vs Qx as I would be with KQxx vs xx

Depends how good his spades are, but we are talking about a worse-case scenario of pard choosing between -500 / -800 or -470 / -570.

Even on a 'good' day, pard will sometimes have three diamonds and four clubs and we'll start getting tapped right away. 3♦ won't be pretty.

[whereagles]

Phil: 3 things:

1. I don't usually think in terms of worst case scenarios.

2. If I had 5 diams, an overcall would be routine I don't see how the 5-2 fit would change things considerably.

3. I would only bid 1♦ if I tanked. My normal bid is pass (and dbl later).

[awm]

I don't really see the point of 1♦ here. Why bid our weakest four-card suit? Why bid the suit that takes up least space, a strain where game is quite unlikely?

It also seems like 1NT and double are possible disasters. Doesn't partner ever transfer you to a weak five-card spade suit? Or bid spades over a double? I'm not even sure what our follow-up will be if it goes 1♣-X-P-1♠-P and this is hardly an unlikely auction (1NT I guess, overbidding our misfit by a queen?).

For me it's close between 1♥ and pass. If opponents were vulnerable I'd say pass is pretty clear, but with opponents white I really don't want it to go 1♣-all pass and play for 50 a trick when partner has some balanced 9-count (and I don't expect partner to always balance with a balanced 9-count). These days I usually bid 1♥ with this hand, making sure to get to game when partner has a big fit for hearts and at least getting in the auction so partner can bid easily with 8-10 hcp.

[whereagles]

awm, on Dec 12 2007, 06:38 PM, said:

1. I don't really see the point of 1♦ here. Why bid our weakest four-card suit?

2. Why bid the suit that takes up least space,

3. a strain where game is quite unlikely?

1. Because you wouldn't like about heart length. Overcalls never promised good suits anyway. (Well, ok, in the old days they did.)

2. Space isn't an issue here. If I bid 1♥ I'll be robbing them of something they probably won't have anyway: diamonds.

3. It is precisely because 5♦ is such a long shot that I can afford to lie about diamond length

[Mbodell]

I ended up unsure of pass versus 1NT as the right bid, but having taken too long for a visible tank decided 1NT would make life easier for partner than a tank pass. Unfortunately my partner's hand gives:

Scoring: MP

---

and the auction went:

1♣ - 1NT - X - 2♥ (suction run out to spades or both minors)
X - 2♠ - P - P
X - P - P - P

Through DA and reasonable play I was only down 1 for 3.5/9 matchpoints.

[jtfanclub]

Mbodell, on Dec 12 2007, 07:42 PM, said:

1♣ - 1NT - X - 2♥ (suction run out to spades or both minors)
X - 2♠ - P - P
X - P - P - P

Through DA and reasonable play I was only down 1 for 3.5/9 matchpoints.

Why didn't you pass 2♥X? Partner might have 5 spades and 3 hearts, in which case he should leave it in.

Probably still down 1 though.